MP urges mature asylum seeker debate

A Labor backbencher says she is concerned about the way the asylum seeker debate continues to focus almost exclusively on people arriving by boat.

Janelle Saffin says they represent only a small percentage of those who seek refugee status in Australia each year.

The Page MP says she is pleased that asylum seekers will be processed on Australian soil for the time being.

However, she says a more mature debate on the issue is overdue.

"There's fears whipped up in the community," Ms Saffin said.

"If we could go back to or go forward to the bipartisan position that used to exist and that [is] how we should ... [deal] with this issue, then we can have sensible arrangements and it just seems that we're a long way off that."